Post mount assembly adapted to withstand a corrosive environment

ABSTRACT

A post mount assembly adapted to resist the corrosive effects of sea air through the incorporation of a 100% stainless-steel hardware. The 100% stainless-steel hardware includes a post sleeve with a base plate for engaging a lower portion of a post, thereby providing a support structure not susceptible to corrosion, rust and other destabilizing natural processes possible in a high-saline, moist environments. The post mount assembly provides a leveling function that embodies a leveling plate disposed between the base plate and the supporting surface so that leveling fasteners can selectively raise at least a portion of the base plate relative to the (unlevel) supporting surface. Thereby, the post mount assembly maintains the structural integrity of supported handrails and/or handrail posts.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional application No. 62/905,020, filed 24 Sep. 2019, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to methods of construction and, more particularly, a post mount assembly for residential and commercial construction, wherein the post mount assembly is adapted to resist the corrosion resulting from exposure to ocean air, while having leveling functionality.

Handrails rely on posts for their structural integrity. Post mounts that are used in coastal regions, however, are rusting in half and failing due to exposure to the moist salt air. A post mount is supposed to withstand 200 lbs of side load force; yet, current handrail posts made from carbon steel will only withstand this amount of side load for an average of seven years when installed at a coastal region because of corrosion due to the above-mentioned exposure to salt air. Once the post mount fails the handrail it supports because intolerably unstable, and a veritable booby trap that can seriously injure the unexpecting and expose the owner to legal liability for negligence.

As can be seen, there is a need for a post mount assembly for residential and commercial construction adapted to withstand the corrosive effects of salt air as well as enables a leveling function for improved structural integrity.

The present invention embodies a stainless-steel post mount assembly whose integrity will not degrade when exposed to salt air from coastal waters, ensuring the supported handrail's long-term integrity. In other words, the 100% stainless-steel post mounts will not rust or weaken over time. The integrity is furthered through the leveling function embodied in the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, a post mount assembly including the following: a post sleeve transversely joined to a base plate; a plurality of base attachment holes spaced apart along the base plate; a plurality of leveling holes spaced apart along the base plate; and a leveling plate having a plurality of bottom attachment holes align with the plurality of base attachment holes, the leveling plate closing off an opening of each of the plurality of leveling holes.

In another aspect of the present invention, the post mount assembly made from a corrosion and rust proof material includes the following: a post sleeve transversely joined to a base plate; a plurality of oblong base attachment holes spaced apart along the base plate; a plurality of leveling holes spaced apart along the base plate, wherein the plurality of oblong base attachment holes and the plurality of leveling holes are alternatingly spaced apart; a leveling plate having a plurality of bottom attachment holes align with the plurality of base attachment holes, the leveling plate closing off an opening of each of the plurality of leveling holes; a plurality of elongated fasteners for operatively associating with the pluralities of attachment holes, respectively; and a plurality of leveling bolts for operatively associated with the plurality of leveling holes, respectively, wherein the corrosion and rust proof material is 100% stainless steel.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, shown in an installed condition;

FIG. 2 is a detailed perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention in the installed condition;

FIG. 3 is a detailed perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, shown in the installed condition without fasteners for clarity;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a section view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a section view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 7 is a section view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the use of the leveling bolts 26 when the supporting structure 30 is not level.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a post mount assembly adapted to resist the corrosive effects of sea air through the incorporation of a 100% stainless-steel hardware. The 100% stainless-steel hardware includes a post sleeve with a base plate for engaging a lower portion of a post, thereby providing a support structure not susceptible to corrosion, rust and other destabilizing natural processes possible in a high-saline, moist environments. The post mount assembly provides a leveling function that embodies a leveling plate disposed between the base plate and the supporting surface so that leveling fasteners can selectively raise at least a portion of the base plate relative to the (unlevel) supporting surface. Thereby, the post mount assembly maintains the structural integrity of supported handrails and/or handrail posts.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 7, the present invention may include a post mount assembly 50 providing a post sleeve upright 10 and a leveling plate 18. The post sleeve upright 10 may be transversely joined to a base plate 12. The base plate 12 may have two kinds of holes spaced apart just inward of a peripheral edge: base attachment holes 14 and leveling holes 16. The leveling holes 16 may be circular, while the base attachment holes 14 may be oblong, and the oblong's longitudinal axis may be generally parallel to the periphery of the base plate 12.

The leveling plate 18 is disposed between the base plate 12 and the supporting surface 30. The leveling plate 18 provides support attachment holes 20 that are spaced apart to generally align with the base attachment holes 14, even though the support attachment holes 20 may be a different shape (circular rather than oblong). Elongated fasteners 22, such as lag screws, may be dimensioned to pass through washers 24 then through the base attachment holes 14 in order to secure the base plate 12 to the supporting surface. Along the leveling plate 18, below the leveling holes 16, the leveling plate 18 is solid so that leveling bolts 26 operatively associated with the leveling holes 16 push against the leveling plate 18 (and not the supporting surface 30), urging a portion of the base plate 12 upward relative to the supporting surface, whereby the post sleeve upright 10 may be plumbed with the supporting surface, as illustrated in FIG. 7.

A method of using the present invention may include the following. The post mount assembly 50 disclosed herein may be provide. A user may place the leveling plate 18 on the supporting surface 30, then the base plate 12 may be placed on top of the leveling plate 18 so that the attachment holes 14 and 20 align. Elongated fasteners 22 may be used in the elongated slots holes of the base attachment holes 14. Once the elongated fasteners 22 are tightened then one or more leveling bolts 26 may need to be selectively engaged with the base plate 12 to make the post mount upright 10 perfectly square (plumb) to the supporting surface 30. Once the post mount upright 10 is plum the user may then slide the post sleeve inserts down the post upright 10 and screw them in place at the recommended heights that may be pre-drilled.

The post upright 10 and bottom leveling plate 18, as well as the post sleeve insert 10, may be made from 100% stainless steel. In other embodiments, the post mount assembly 50 may be made from carbon steel, alloy steel, and or tool steel, and/or components can be powder coated, chemical dipped, such as in galvanized chemicals. The bottom leveling plate 18 may have a square shape, a round shape, or any shape so long as the present invention functions in accordance with the disclosure herein.

The manufacturer may have to have a machine shop for metal working, laser cutting, machine stamping, machine welding or other manufacturing techniques to make all of the structural components disclosed herein. It is important to have the bottom leveling plate 18, the post mount upright 10, and four stainless-steel bolts or equivalent fasteners for leveling, and in some embodiments two screws fasteners for installing post sleeve inserts.

The present invention may be used in coastal regions to solve the problem that all current post mount systems have with corrosion and rusting due to sea air.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A post mount assembly, comprising: a post sleeve transversely joined to a base plate; a plurality of base attachment holes spaced apart along the base plate; a plurality of leveling holes spaced apart along the base plate; and a leveling plate having a plurality of bottom attachment holes align with the plurality of base attachment holes, the leveling plate closing off an opening of each of the plurality of leveling holes.
 2. The post mount assembly of claim 1 wherein the post mount assembly is made from 100% stainless steel.
 3. The post mount assembly of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of elongated fasteners for operatively associating with the pluralities of attachment holes, respectively; and a plurality of leveling bolts for operatively associated with the plurality of leveling holes, respectively.
 4. The post mount assembly of claim 3 wherein the post mount assembly is made from 100% stainless steel.
 5. The post mount assembly of claim 1 wherein the plurality of base attachment holes are oblong.
 6. The post mount assembly of claim 1 wherein the plurality of base attachment holes and the plurality of leveling holes are alternatingly spaced apart.
 7. A post mount assembly made from a corrosion and rust proof material, comprising: a post sleeve transversely joined to a base plate; a plurality of oblong base attachment holes spaced apart along the base plate; a plurality of leveling holes spaced apart along the base plate, wherein the plurality of oblong base attachment holes and the plurality of leveling holes are alternatingly spaced apart; a leveling plate having a plurality of bottom attachment holes align with the plurality of base attachment holes, the leveling plate closing off an opening of each of the plurality of leveling holes; a plurality of elongated fasteners for operatively associating with the pluralities of attachment holes, respectively; and a plurality of leveling bolts for operatively associated with the plurality of leveling holes, respectively.
 8. The post mount assembly of claim 7 wherein the corrosion and rust proof material is 100% stainless steel. 